Kitchen and Cooking Thread

[metallicat]

Trying this chicken marinade tonight:

1 cup worcestershire sauce
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp garlic powder

I actually halved all of those ingredients, and 4 chicken breasts are currently marinating in it.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Anyone got a good recipe for chicken cacciatore?

If you go to the link in the following recipe, you will find a menu along the right hand side. That menu will take you to other cooking videos. Either click on "see all" or scroll up or down to find other how to videos for all kinds of food dishes, one of them is Chicken Cacciatore, very good explanation.

I should add that the chef from the video in the recipe below has his own cooking blog. You can find all of his recipes and cooking videos at http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/


I am going to post his recipe for no knead Ciabatta bread. Bread is intimidating for many people, this recipe does not require kneading, but you do have preparation the day before. I have had very good results using his method and recipe.

I cover my dough with saran wrap and then leave it in my oven for the 18 hour rest period. The oven is not turned on of course. And I use the instant or rapid yeast with good results. A word of caution, this recipe makes a big loaf, so you might want to adjust quantities and try 2/3 or half the amount. You might have to adjust the baking time as well for a smaller loaf, rest of the preparation remains the same.

No Knead Ciabatta Bread

3 3/4 to 4 cups flour, all white or 3 1/2 cups white and 1/2 cup whole wheat
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups warm water
cornmeal and oil for the baking sheet

Put the first four ingredients in a large stainless steel or glass bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until a fairly stiff ball of dough forms. If necessary, add a bit more water or a bit more flour. Dough should be stiff but not dry and not wet. Cover with saran wrap and let rest in a warm place for at least 18 hours or up to 2 days. I find the interior of my oven works well.

Uncover and use a spatula to fold dough over itself a few times. Put dough onto a piece of saran wrap that has been sprinkled liberally with flour. Use your hands to shape a flattish rectangular loaf. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with oil and then sprinkle the cookie sheet generously with cornmeal. Use the saran wrap to lift the shaped dough and invert onto the cookie sheet. If necessary, reshape the loaf. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425F. Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes.

For further instructions and a step by step video, go to the link below. There is a selection of videos along the right hand side worthwhile checking out as well.

http://vimeo.com/2886078?pg=embed&sec=

Note: In Calgary, we have a very dry climate and that in turn means our flour is drier and absorbs more liquid. I compensate for that by starting with a little less flour than the recipe calls for. You can always add more flour later if the dough seems too wet.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

When making hot dogs, if you put the buns in a 400 degree oven for five minutes it makes a huge difference.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

I picked up some dried chiles today - ancho, guajillo, and pasilla to be exact - along with some mexican oregano and corn tortillas. Looking forward to making enchiladas tonight.

[octothorp]

Any good baking supply stores in the city? I'm looking for two things in particular: oblong or baguette brotforms, and pearl sugar.

[Shazam]

Bite for pearl sugar? I think Cookbook Co. has brotforms.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Bite for pearl sugar? I think Cookbook Co. has brotforms.

Huh, I had never even heard of Bite, but I just googled it: sounds fantastic, and only a block away from my usual route home from work!

[Shazam]

Ooh, you're in trouble now Try the black garlic there.

If Bite doesn't have it, I'm fairly certain Michael's would. Yeah, 50 year old sugar, baby.

[octothorp]

Anyone tried making beef carpaccio? Is it as easy as it sounds? How should I go about selecting a good cut of meat for it? How about an ideal way to slice it?

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Anyone tried making beef carpaccio? Is it as easy as it sounds? How should I go about selecting a good cut of meat for it? How about an ideal way to slice it?

It would be easier to slice if you partially freeze the beef first.

[Methanolic]

Not sure if this "Hint" is widely known or not, I didn't know about it until a few months ago.

Any recipe that requires grated cheese of any kind, place the cheese in the freezer for at least 20 min. prior to grating. This works awesome! Your grater doesn't get gummed up and the grating itself is way faster and easier!

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I picked up some dried chiles today - ancho, guajillo, and pasilla to be exact - along with some mexican oregano and corn tortillas. Looking forward to making enchiladas tonight.

OK, there's this little shop in the NE called Las Tortillas. The guy who runs the place with his family imported a taco press from Mexico. They are the closest thing I have ever had to the tortillas in Mexico from somewhere in Calgary! Check it out- they have a few yummy pork an chicken tacos they make there or you can bring home a bag of fresh tortillas yourself. Sooooo good!

Writeup from Avenuecalgary.com

LAS TORTILLAS
Finally, truly fresh corn tortillas made right here in Calgary. Las Tortillas makes tortillas from scratch, and that’s it. These are the real deal, made by a local Mexican family in one of those simple little machines you see cranking out fresh flatbreads in every small town market across Mexico. Get them fresh, as they should be. (4100 Marlborough Dr. N.E., 403-273-3555)

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Anyone tried making beef carpaccio? Is it as easy as it sounds? How should I go about selecting a good cut of meat for it? How about an ideal way to slice it?

First thing I found on google
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-beef-carpaccio

[SteveToms]

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/o...me-brulee.aspx

Orange Creme Brulee, I would say double or triple the recipe if you want a decent amount.

[wittynickname]

This was just a random idea that came to me tonight. I only measure if I'm baking, so this is all estimated.

1 cup brown rice, cooked as per package instructions.
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed to taste

2 frozen chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
dash of creole seasoning
dash of chili powder

pour all liquid ingredients/seasonings into a pan, on medium heat, place frozen strips of chicken in the cooking liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes covered. Uncover for last 5 minutes.

Mix in a bowl with broccoli and brown rice.

Enjoy.

Next time I want to add some more veggies, but this was a last minute improvisation after work tonight, I had to work with what was on hand.

[Machiavelli]

Creme brulee just seems so easy to screw up. Makes me shy away from attempting a recipe.

[SteveToms]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Creme brulee just seems so easy to screw up. Makes me shy away from attempting a recipe.

It's easy to screw up, but lot's of baking is. I've never made it before today, and it turned out fine.

[octothorp]

I've never ever screwed up creme brulee, and I've made it frequently. And I'm far from a perfect cook. Sometimes the texture isn't quite as smooth as I'd like or it's a little too thick (usually if I'm improvising and adding different ingredients), but I've never actually screwed it up to the point where it isn't absolutely delicious and fun to eat. My favorite is lemon bourbon creme brulee. Just make your regular creme, add bourbon, lemon juice, and a bit of zest. Espresso, chocolate, and pickled ginger are some other things I've added to creme brulees.

[wittynickname]

Originally Posted by wittynickname

This was just a random idea that came to me tonight. I only measure if I'm baking, so this is all estimated.

1 cup brown rice, cooked as per package instructions.
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed to taste

2 frozen chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
dash of creole seasoning
dash of chili powder

pour all liquid ingredients/seasonings into a pan, on medium heat, place frozen strips of chicken in the cooking liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes covered. Uncover for last 5 minutes.

Mix in a bowl with broccoli and brown rice.

Enjoy.

Next time I want to add some more veggies, but this was a last minute improvisation after work tonight, I had to work with what was on hand.

I made this again tonight, but I changed it up.

I added one can of drained, sliced water chestnuts to the cooking liquid for the chicken, and I took sliced pineapple, grilled it, and then cut it into chunks to mix with the rice/chicken/broccoli at the end.

And it was even more awesome.

Also add soy sauce to taste. Real soy sauce, not the fake crap.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by wittynickname

Real soy sauce, not the fake crap.

What is fake soy sauce?